Download Lesson # 27 – Introduction to Propaganda

Lesson # 27 – Introduction to Propaganda
Focus Question: What is propaganda, and how does it influence viewers?
Objectives:
1) Key Content/Concept: Identifying common propaganda techniques
2) Key Social Skill/Habit: Research, presentation, applying a new method of media
analysis
3) Key Technical/Artistic Skill: Critical viewing
Materials/Equipment:
Laptop with Internet access, Smartboard
Markers
Large Paper
Various magazines
Handouts:
Common Propaganda Techniques (wiki)
Preparation for Lesson:
Warm Up: DEFINE PROPAGANDA
1) To Introduce Lesson
2) Model Concept or Skill
3) Actively Engage All Students
Time/Duration: 10 min
As a full group,
Ask students: If you were trying to convince someone to do something that you didn’t
want to do, what would you say to make them agree to your wishes?
If students are stumped, give them a scenario to prompt their thinking, such as trying to
convince their parents to let them go to a late night party that may involve drinking and
an older crowd.
Students may give responses such as:
- tell them about my friends who are allowed to go
- make promises about being home on time, etc.
- point out times i’ve shown how responsible I am, that I know how to handle
myself”
- get angry- yell about how ‘its not fair’, etc
- tell them that ___________ will be there or letting their son go (a person they
trust)
- say that mom/dad already said I could go
- lie about what would be happening (there will be a parent the whole time, etc)
- not tell them about things that will make them not let me go (alcohol, older
crowd)
Write the word PROPAGANDA on the board.
Explain that in the same way, propaganda uses techniques of persuasion to convince an
audience to think, believe, or do something.
Ask the group to help you list some common types of propaganda they have
encountered, for example:
- Commercials which advertise products
- campaign ads, campaign speeches
- public service announcements
- religious materials
- military recruitment posters, recruitment commercials
Encourage students to give detail, and describe how they knew it was propaganda.
What is the purpose of propaganda? Why is it used?
Main Lesson/Activity: MAKE PROPAGANDA VISUALS
Time/Duration: 35
min.
1) To Facilitate Student Experience and Practice of New Skills/Habits/Knowledge
and Understanding
2) Actively Engage All Students
As a full group,
Explain that we are going to go over the strategies used in propaganda to persuade the
public to think a certain way or agree with a specific ideology, and we are going view to
several examples of different kinds of propaganda. In the production class, they will use
what they have learned to create public service announcements based on tactics of
persuasion.
Distribute the propaganda techniques handout.
Ask students to read through the packet and highlight key phrases that help them
remember the point of each technique. Have them jot down examples that come to mind
as they are reading. (As they are doing this, make a list of the techniques on the board for
students to pull from in the next exercise.)
After they have read the packet, ask if students can draw connctions to the techniques
listed and the strategies they said they would use to convince someone. For example, if
they said, “everybody else was going”, that relates to the Bandwagon technique.
After students have read packet, ask if there are any questions. Prompt students to share
any of the examples they may have written down.
Assign each student one of the propaganda techniques and distribute the magazines, large
paper and markers. Working individually, students will create a sign or a poster
illustrating this particular propaganda technique, using ads from the magazine or their
own illustrations. Explain that the poster will be a graded homework, and that they will
be expected to teach their peers about their technique in the next class session.
*Note: Though students are working independently, they should be encouraged to share
ads with their peers if they find something that fits into another classmate’s category.
These posters will be hung in the room as a visual to help students throughout the
propaganda unit.
Concluding Activity: HOMEWORK
1) Review/Summarize Lesson’s Key Concepts and Skills
2) Give Homework or Preparation for Next Class
Individually students will:
Students will complete their propaganda poster and prepare a 2-3 presentation to the
share what they’ve learned with the class. If they need to clarify exactly how this
specific propaganda technique works, they can do additional research online.
Lesson # 28 – Understanding Niche and Target Audiences
Focus Question: How do propagandist determine an audience for their message?
Objectives:
1) Key Content/Concept: Understanding target audience, niche audience
2) Key Social Skill/Habit: Peer teaching
3) Key Technical/Artistic Skill: Critical analysis
Materials/Equipment:
Smartboard or Laptop/projector
Handouts:
“A Quick Intro to Target Marketing” (wiki)
Analyzing Target Audience (wiki)
Preparation for Lesson:
View commercial clips and make sure they can be accessed in class
Warm Up:
Time/Duration: 20 min
1) Review and Connect to Prior Lesson
2) Actively Engage All Students
As a full group,
Have students present their poster and propaganda technique to the class. Students
should fully explain their techniques as well as site examples. After each presentation,
prompt students to share other examples they are familiar with.
Main Lesson/Activity: ANALYZE PROPAGANDA EXAMPLES
Time/Duration: 25 min
1) Modeling
2) To Facilitate Student Experience and Practice of New Skills/Habits/Knowledge
and Understanding
3) Actively Engage All Students
As a full group,
Pass out the handout on Target Marketing and give students several minutes to read it.
Encourage them to ask questions.
In the next exercise, they will look more closely at how advertisers target specific
audiences.
Distribute the “Analyzing Target Audience” handout. In this exercise you will show two
examples of advertisements from the same company that target two different audiences.
Samples from the wiki site include:


“I Fought the Law” 2005 Pepsi Superbowl Ad featuring young people who were
prosecuted for downloading music, advertising paid music downloads and Pepsi.
P-Diddy 2004 Pepsi Superbowl Ad, featuring a Pepsi that gets signed and
promoted as Diddy’s new top audience.
After viewing “I fought the Law” commercial, complete answer the set of questions on
the Analyzing target audience sheet. Be prepared to show the commercial two or three
times so that students have time to pay attention to the details of the ad.
Engage students in a discussion about the target audience of this ad. Prompt them to see
that the audience is not only youth, but youth who identify with being “rebellious” or part
of “alternative” culture. Ask students to identity how they know who the audience is,
such as
- the words of the music (“I fought the law”) and characters (“not a thing anyone
can do about it)
- the words that come on screen (i.e. accused, incriminated, charged)
- their body language and facial expressions of the youth in the ad (arms folded
across chest, serious stares)
Point out that in this ad, Pepsi uses the transfer technique- asking viewers to associate the
coolness of rebelling against society, and being independent, with drinking Pepsi. Ask
students how they feel about Pepsi’s strategy. Is it effective?
Watch the second Pepsi commercial (again, two or three times). This time, have students
answer all of the questions before sharing responses.
Once students are finished, compare the two ads. How is this audience different from the
first audience? During what types of shows would you expect to see either of these ads?
Concluding Activity: HOMEWORK
Time/Duration: (30 min, at home)
1) To Facilitate Student Reflection on Experience
2) Review/Summarize Lesson’s Key Concepts and Skills
3) Give Homework or Preparation for Next Class
For homework, have the students complete the remaining spaces on the grid by analyzing
commercials at home. Tell them that the three commercials must be all be aired during
the same show or program, and they should aim for a program that they watch regularly.
After completing the handout, have students respond to the following in their journal or
on Ning site:
How would you describe the target audience of these ads, and do you feel like it includes
you? How effective were the ads, and are the assumptions that the advertisers make
about your lifestyle, likes, or dislikes accurate?